22 weeks

Well baby, you are 22 weeks old now. I've gone from being slightly aware of you to now very aware. It seems like last week you decided to move and kick way more than ever before (that may seem obvious but it's still very cool to experience). I've been asking you to kick hard enough for daddy to feel and like the good, obedient first born you are, you responded. On Sunday, dad got to feel you kick for the first time. But you can be a trickster sometimes, just when you are moving and squirming and he puts his hand to feel, you stop. Baby, this is not hide and seek. 

I swear the bump looks bigger in person. 

This week you've gained 3 oz, that's a lot when you are so tiny to begin with. They tell me you are the size of a spaghetti squash, only way better looking I'm sure. We love you precious one. We pray for you all the time and know life wouldn't be the same if you were to leave.

Your baby too

My brother asked me a couple months back if I was going to post weekly photos of the bump. Not thinking I would be one to participate in that trend I said "no." But this week I can't seem to help myself, especially since we (the royal we, baby and me, but mostly baby) have gone from slight pooch to really noticeable. 

And, there is also the fact that this is your baby too! Maybe you're missing seeing it grow. Maybe this is your niece or nephew, grandbaby or relative and in that case I think I'm totally justified in posting the 'bump' photos for you, 'cause I think you secretly or not so secretly care :)

To catch you up on what's been happening we have:

Thankfully sickness ended around week 16, this last month has been delightful. I think I actually enjoyed being pregnant this last month! Just tonight Dan gave a big grin at the table, he too is thankful I'm feeling better, we are eating meals now! Fully cooked meals, it's the small things folks.

And now we are in:

Yep, week 21. Past the halfway mark and fully in the second trimester. My, how we've grown (again, the royal we- baby and I). This week baby is 13 oz, only 380 grams. For you folks at home that is very tiny and yet big enough that I can feel baby move, squirm and give gentle kicks, think the size of a carrot. Super cool! Who knew that someone with 3cm legs could make such an impact!

It was hard for me to enter into full excitement mode when my head was hanging over the toilet (sorry if that is too personal) but full excitement mode is here now! We've been crafting (not Dan so much as baby and I) and decorating and cooking! Ahhh the joys of the second trimester, it is everything they say it will be and so much more. 

I want to get away

We wanted a little get-away for our Labor Day Weekend as it seems do many other Americans. Maybe you went camping or hiking or on a road trip one final time before summer's end. We did too. This time to Chattanooga. After last year's misfortune in Mobile, AL- trust me this city does not need to make your top 10 or even top 100, we decided to head in the opposite direction, somewhere a little closer and a little 'cooler' (pun intended).

What do you think of when you hear the word Chattanooga? Maybe something like:

Or maybe you are history buff, like this guy below, and you think about THE battle for Chattanooga at Chickamauga. We learned all about the Civil War Battle here (technically in GA) and on Lookout MT.(again, in GA, but who's keeping track?)

Or maybe like me you went to Chattanooga to stand on Lookout Mountain and See Seven States from Rock City.

and to see waterfalls, caves, rivers and more.

WE are back

Apologies for the gap between posts. It has been so long Google didn't even recognize me. I even had to create a new password to log in! I promise I have a good reason for my absence though, I'm sure you've heard and if you haven't, I apologize that you are learning this over a blog post but Dan and I are expecting our first baby in January! 

                          

(When I look at myself in the mirror I feel HUGE but somehow these photos don't have same effect.)

 See what I mean about good reason? The last 12 weeks have been challenging. I can't really explain it to you and I'm sure you won't really get it unless you've had some foreign creature  baby living inside of your body but trust me when I say there is nothing like it. I've been sick before, I've felt strange before, but this was not the same.

Week 18

But as the three of us walk though week 18 together, we are much happier than week 8, we are thankful that this little creature is in charge, even if it means we are just along for the ride. Thankful to be welcoming babe into our family and thankful for renewed energy to blog!

One Year Old

One year ago I was bursting at the seams, dying to tell you about our new job and move to the south. We decided to wait until we were sure we were moving and until we had notified our previous employer. No employer should find out you're leaving your job via your blog, but I'm sure you already knew that. So with great joy I began to write. It became routine and therapeutic to put down my thoughts and I so love to hear your feedback. 

You've been faithful readers, I appreciate that. It's always helpful to know that my ideas are interesting to you too.
If you haven't guessed already today is the one year anniversary of our (read the royal we, Dan is very helpful for grammatical checks and spelling assistance) blog, Happy Birthday Blog!

If you've been reading for a year, happy anniversary to you too.  Let's recount the year, shall we?

We have readers from across the world, some countries I know people who live there and some I don't, we have readers from Japan, South Korea and the UK, to name a few.

You've been with us as we quit our jobs, packed up our apartment and drove cross country. You were with us when our car cars had trouble and you watched as we discovered the South. It has been an experience; interesting, difficult, and exciting experience. Thanks for coming along!

A big shout out to our most popular post Bow to your partner. I think it must be the title?

Alien Invasion and Unidentified Objects

So we signed up for this CSA, which we love; mostly. We love that we get fresh greens each week, and I do mean fresh, not grown with chemicals or made to ripen with strange fumes. 

Bonus: We are swimming in salad greens and strawberries, who doesn't love a fresh salad? If you are looking for ideas ask us, we've made 7 different kinds this week, yes 7, one for every day of the week. I told you people we were SWIMMING in greens. 

But, what I'm discovering about the CSA is that although we have fresh produce weekly we also have fresh produce weekly that we didn't select and I'm finding myself in uncharted territory. Lovers of vegetables please HELP! I know you are probably far more cultured than I and have eaten these things before but I haven't cooked or tasted many of the items we are being given, in fact I can't even identify many of this weeks goods.

I'm pretty sure this is Swiss Chard, but what do you do with it?

 I am a recent convert. Yes, I had many microwave timers set for me as a child as I was forced  encouraged to eat my green beans. Now that I'm a believer I'm pretty sure I missed out on vegetable 101. 

Enter you, yes, you the reader. Can you identify this week's goodies? Can you suggest recipes or tips on how to cook? Or, will we be left to the alien invasion that seems to be threatening our kitchen?

PS I think this could totally pass as some kind of spaceship, hence the alien reference. 

Our First

Our first Southern Wedding, how do we look?

Our first go at a Southern Wedding went without a hitch. It was lovely. Dan's favorite part was the buffet including eggs, bacon, sausage, grits, gravy, waffles and egg casserole with grits. Can't get much more Southern than that. 

A highlight of the afternoon was a performance by former Crimsonettes. 

You can thank Dan for the video.